


Kingdom Come

by RedlaSunShowers029



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, snk - Fandom
Genre: GT, M/M, Minor Violence, Pred!Eren X Prey!Armin, Vore, protection vore, somewhat light Eremin content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-05
Updated: 2014-10-05
Packaged: 2018-02-20 01:19:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2409824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedlaSunShowers029/pseuds/RedlaSunShowers029
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a mob comes to annihilate  a shrunken Armin, Eren must take the precautions needed to save his friend from imminent death... Despite how awful said protective actions are. </p><p>Contains another bit of *hopefully* mild OOC and some somewhat violent images.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kingdom Come

Don't Look.... [Protective!Pred!Eren X Prey!Armin]

Alt. Title: To Protect A "Tiny Heretic"

The only sound that accompanied the pounding of furious footsteps and shouting was the shattering of glass inches from his face on the ground. The dim, almost evil glow of torches still hung in the night, reflecting the angry faces of civilians... Even ones from his own district, all lined up and trying to kill him, screaming insults as they paraded down the streets to reach their prey. One person actually got pretty close to stomping on him, and probably would've if he hadn't jumped back quickly enough. Oh, of all th things... He had to be shrunk and followed after by a screaming mob! He was running like mad, even with his poor physical endurance, across alley to alley. It would've been difficult for a normal-sized person! They were all getting closer, as more broken glass came across his path. "Heretic! Scum of the street! Run like a filthy rat, you bastard! This is what you get for leading the Titans into the walls!" This was followed by a chorus of angry screaming and jeers, and the flames flickered even more brightly the harder he tried to get away. He could barely breathe, tears stinging his eyes like liquid flames descending down his cheeks. Surely he would be killed on the spot he stopped, and was tiring out rather quickly. 

He stopped short, however, when he collided with something right in front of them. Looking at it more closely, he could tell he had knocked into someone's shoe- it was a pair soldier's boots. Whoever it was made careful attention to step lightly over him, meaning he may well have an ally. A few people still darted to try and get him, though all of them were quickly smacked down. Even with the little grunts the person made, he was pretty quickly aware of who it was. Just to make sure, he looked up to see his friend looming over him, draped in a brown cloak and without the rest of his uniform equipped. This was a reassurrance in of itself, grinning in relief at his discovery. But Eren was not smiling back at him. The brunette's eyes were just as cold-blooded and fixed-to-kill as the rest of them. He backed away a little, making it clear that he had been hurt by this action, eyes wide with horror. It seemed not only his best friend would be there for him in the end. Yes, there was no hope now. He would surely die in the worst way imaginable, at the hands of his own friend. 

The hand reached down, and though he struggled against it, the grip did not cease to allow him his freedom. He wasn't even looking at him afterwards, but at the mob instead, he noticed as Eren brought him close to his face. "You can all assemble and chase this so-called 'heretic' around but not one of you has the guts or decency to finish him off?! God damn, and I thought you were cowards to start with! I'll be back in just a second to fill in the parts that you have neglected to do. If you all flatly refuse to kill him, and have decided to run around like vultures, waiting for him to kill himself, then I'll just have to be the one to take care of him... What a disappointing crowd..." 

He couldn't believe his ears- Eren had really just voulenteered to... No, it couldn't be... He wouldn't have been so afraid if his friend had shown any sign of being on his side, but he couldn't even pick up any aura that this was the case as he began to kick and thrash against the hand keeping him captive to no avail. "Y-You can't do this! It's me, it's me! I thought you were always on my side!" Eren didn't respond, taking his little prisoner and determinedly walking towards a small cottage behind them. It was almost as if he were oblivious to his cries and shouts. While he had no idea what exact fate awaited him, he knew it would be an awful one. 

He continued to struggle against his friend's grip up until the door of the house had been opened, locked firmly, and was lightly set on a table. Now, should he try to escape? Run somewhere? But where?! There were people far more interested in spilling his blood outside. They surely wouldn't give him another chance if they caught him again. So he just had to settle with his supposed friend's method of torture, he decided. This felt even more awful than letting them get him, but at least with Eren he had a strong chance to reason his way out of this one. But Eren wasn't focusing on him- he was more intent on closing all of the windows and shielding them from outside view. By the last curtain closed, he returned to his tiny friend, setting a hand down just as he could sense Armin was about to think about running away. 

He felt the slight tremors from this and froze, slowly looking up only long enough to see Eren looming over him. And that was when he lost it, laying flat on his back, hands in the air as a sort of attempted defense. But the voice that answered him was spiteful nor angry, but soft and gentle, as if trying to comfort a child. "A-Armin, it's alright..." He stopped short with his begging-for-mercy posture, opening his eyes up only enough to see that all anger had broken from the one directly above him. Eren was the most calm and mellow he had ever seen him- almost fatherly in a way. His worried expression coaxed him out of his fear to sit back up and look at him. Though there was still the concern about his aggressive display earlier... "W-What was that about, then?" Armin asked, leaning back so he could see his friend's face more clearly. Though with the somewhat dim lighting directly above, it was indeed difficult to see a thing. Eren's voice dropped a few pitches so it was much more easy on his tiny friend to hear. "Did you really expect me to fight off that many people on the streets? That would cause an insane ruckus!" he chuckled. "I decided to follow after your lead and actually use my head for once, instead of resorting to violence as usual. Besides which, if I tried to do anything more than kick back a few people, it would be all too easy for you to get crushed, and I couldn't live with that happening. I'm sorry that I scared you- I meant to- but I still don't feel good about it." 

This was an odd explanation, and it could only mean one thing. "I-I understand. You were trying to get me worked up so that no one would suspect you had thoughts otherwise, correct?" Eren nodded. "Otherwise it would be very suspicious... I don't think anyone noticed that I was standing there the whole time." "Y-You were?! And you knew... They'd lead me in her direction?..." Eren sighed. "It's... Complicated. About three of four months ago, Mikasa overheard some gossip about a crowd of people from Shinganshina and Trost gathering to kill a 'heretic' in the Survey Corps via breaking into a testing lab and shrinking him. When she told me the news, and with no mention of anything else about titans, I suspected it was you. So I went up to Hanji, who agreed to postpone some of the other tests she had planned that were less important to help me develop a plan." he explained, going off into one corner to retrieve five small vials in a small brown case. "It took a lot of experimentation, let me tell you, though the outcome was not pleasant... The only solution was indeed horrific, at least to me. We tried to find other solutions to no avail. But I promise you, this is very well tested to be safe, but it's... A pretty awful solution to the problem." Armin couldn't help but allow a shiver to crawl down his back at these words. Eren averted his eyes from his friend. "So tell me, Armin, just how much do you trust me?" 

The blonde froze suddenly, still unsure of Eren's plan. But he still responded quite frankly. "Very much so. With my life." he gulped. "Good. That sound make things a lot easier." Eren answered, placing the small bottles in front of him. "Because the only way this would work is for you to hold onto that trust, no matter what happens. It's a trust exercise, basically. And this... Is going to hurt. There's no way about it, this will probably trigger a great deal of emotional stress for both of us. I'm just warning you now." His crystal blue eyes widened, fear intensifying. "E-Eren, would you please... Just tell me what you're planning?" Eren gulped down the first of the bottles rather quickly, making a noise as if he were deeply ill. "Gah! I-I can't- it would scare you too much." he responded, chasing down the apparently awful-tasting liquid with another, more cream-colored one. "And that's to keep me from vomiting..." he muttered softly in a voice he hoped his friend could not hear. Now Armin was starting to panic. He had no idea what was going on, Eren was acting strangely secretive, and he was already incredibly vulnerable. One screw up and he could be dead. He was scared and confused with no where to run, or so it seemed to him, and being of a curious mind, he often preferred to know what was happening no matter how strong his trust in the other person or idea. 

He heard three more gulps as the third liquid was drained, the brunette settling down to lean against the small tabletop where he had set his friend down, at eye level. Looking into Eren's gray-green eyes, he looked undeniably sick and hurt. But still he smiled weakly as if to prove he was alright, scooping him up gently and using one finger to gently let him. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?" he asked in concern for his friend's possible illness. "N-No I'm not, but there's no help for that. Just some bad indigestion from that serum, that's all. I've loved through worse than a bad stomachache, and I'll have to in any case. There's one thing I need you to do, though- since they think that I 'took care of you,' so to speak, I need to make it look like I did just that. Could you... Take off your jacket for a minute?" He hesitated to take something out of his left pocket before slipping it off, handing it to his companion. "T-This is the point where you won't want to look for a while. I don't want you to see what your supposed "death" that I planned out is. I-It's about too brutal." Eren stuttered, placing Armin back down and ripping up the piece of clothing with his teeth. All that could be heard was an angry scream, then a small trickling that could only mean Eren had drawn his own blood, proceeding to allow it to drip onto the torn cloth. "Ere-" "Don't look. It'll only make it worse." Armin could feel a finger or two wrap around his waist, proceeding to place him into the other male's palm. The firelight flicked its many tongues somewhere in the distance, followed by a dull roar. The mob was starting to get impatient with the boy. "Don't look, don't look, don't look..." Eren mumbled, like a mother trying to tell a child to shield their eyes from war. All that could be heard after that was a small almost clicking sound as Eren placed him into the only spot he had deemed safe in the end. 

The poor blonde didn't even have to look to know where he was, with something twitching underneath him and coating him with slime; though he didn't open his eyes, he felt around to Eren's cheek, holding on tightly to the inside. He made sure to make his intense fear evident. "Y-You're going to eat me?!" he barely squeaked. It all made sense to him now... The multiple liquids, the unwillingness Eren showed to telling him, the nausea from his friend, the guilt, the questioning... It all lined up. But certainly this couldn't be the only way! He quickly felt himself tilt forward, only to land back on Eren's hands. He opened his eyes despite himself, and quickly wished he hadn't. Down into the gaze of those calm greenish eyes, a small trickle of blood fell from his mouth and he wore a somewhat happy smile, which vanished seconds later. If he hadn't known better, he would've run away screaming. But he was up too high and had nowhere to go, nowhere to hide, and no one who would shelter him from the storm that awaited him outside. He was indeed stuck, trying not to cry. 

Eren, too, was truly stuck. He had known it was a truly horrible idea, but the only one that would work. What would he do if Armin wouldn't cooperate with this strategy? Would be still be able to keep him safe? And what would happen if he couldn't? No. The first thing to do was reassure his friend. He had to look... Not like I doubt that he didn't know what was going on. This does make things more complicated, though. What to do...? The shifter hesitated to gently stroke his shivering friend, trying the best he could to calm him down. "Eat you?! N-No, that's not the right way to put it. More like... Swallow you... But only temporarily, I promise. Only until I get these bastards to assume you're dead and go about their own business. I should... Probably explain, now that you know. You can... Open your eyes now." 

One bottle was placed a few inches from the tiny soldier's nose so he could read the label. "That one causes long-lasting, complete, but temporary indigestion, the second keeps me from being sick, the third makes it so you can't suffocate," he narrated, picking up a small needle with something on it, "this one keeps me from transforming, and the last one that I can't use yet... Will make me vomit. I'll use that one instantly once it's safe to... I promise I won't let you die." Armin could barely utter a sound. He was dumbfounded, though it had seemed Eren had figured all of this out and had worked through all the steps. But still, he curled up into a ball, clutching the object he had taken from his jacket pocket tightly, as if he were a child hugging a security blanket in fear. "Armin, I know bu-" Though his thoughts were cut short as he saw the glinting metal of the object in Armin's grasp. 

He took a moment to further understand what Armin must be experiencing: the poor blonde had been chased around, nearly stepped on and crushed multiple times; felt as if he were going to be killed on the spot by his own friend; only to find out that it wasn't much better than that, getting confused over what had been planned; only to fine out that the only supposed working strategy was... To be eaten alive. He could tell that right now, Armin was very confused, very scared, and very unsure of where he stood with such an idea. At some point, he could even see, as he opened his eyes to look around, the fear that held in the soft blue irises. He was wide-eyed and panicked, expecting every waking moment to be devoured without second thought. His breaths were heavy and faltered a bit due to his current upset on the situation. But what sparked in his pained eyes, brimming with tears, was not just fear- it was a conflict between terror and trust. It was apparent that he was fighting against himself to try and make as much peace with the dilemma as he possibly could. Evidentially, it was a rough battle, with either side injured fatally, and only the last blow would decide where he stood. 

After several moment of heavy breathing he finally spoke again. "Y-You promise...?" Eren look down at him with the softest, most sincere look that he had ever expressed, nodding calmly. "I promise dearly on my life and responsibility as a soldier. I won't let anything happen to you. I'm just worried to leave you anywhere... External. An angry mob isn't something you can stop easily, you know. I-If it makes you feel any safer, keep that dagger close by. And may I ask, while we're on the subject, where you got such a weapon?" Armin seemed less panicked as he unsheathed his weapon, staring down at the blade as if lost in thought. "There was a time, before the wall fell, that I lead a group of Military Police soldiers to an arrest- from a distance, of course. But afterwards, one of them let me keep this afterwards. I just... Never used it, and only started sharpening it this year. I-It's been a-a sort of reassurrance for me in its own way all these years." Though even as he spoke, salty tears were drifting down his cheeks. 

Eren gently set one finger on his back, petting him lightly. "No no- A-Armin, it's alright, you're going to be fine. C-calm down, I'm not going to hurt you I promise. Just give me a sign you're going to be alright..." He jumped back slightly when his index finger received a strong tug from the tiny boy, followed by a small nod. It was clear Armin was trying to push away his fears despite the situation. "H-How long will this last?" He looked up to see Eren lifting him back up to the level of his calm eyes. "I really... Have no idea. It depends on how persistent they are in finding you. I made sure that there's enough of the liquids to last as long as it's needed. Should we... Get this over with?" Armin nodded silently, shivering. "A-Alright." he softly replied. "Don't look, don't look, don't look..." His tone made it evident that he had no desire to devour his friend, gentle eyes flickering in the candlelit room as he gently scooped up his friend and placed him on his tongue. 

Shutting his eyes before getting put into the slimy abyss certainly stopped Armin from getting as harsh of memories from the dreaded day that bearded Titan had come and taken Eren away from him, though hadn't fully faded. He just stayed as calm as quiet as possible, lightly feeling around him as a small clack as the shifter closed his mouth. He now just had to rely on the trust that Eren knew what he was doing. He was able to block out most of his senses now, that sight was not able to draw him into his fears as much. The truth... The horrible truth... Was enough to keep him alert and afraid. What if something really did happen...? He didn't really have much time to think about it before feeling himself sliding backwards into the tight muscles of his friend's slimy throat, whimpering slightly as it tugged him down quickly. The deep chasm echoed with something like a glurk around him, making his hair stand up a bit. And then the churning depths were directly below him... Oh, Eren, please tell me this was a good idea...

Moments later the sludge and slime was all around him, splashing into his face viciously. He was completely soaked through by now, though still did not open his eyes in fear of what he would see around him it he did. So instead, he settled wilt feeling around the soft, slick surface, which was deeply unsettling, but better than not knowing what he'd be up against if anything went wrong. The rigid muscles, even when relaxed, were clearly very strong, and would kill him in an instant if they were to turn on him. And every once in a while there came a low gurgling sound that echoed all around him. It was overall pretty unnerving, and he wanted very much for it to be done with as soon as possible. Though he had his doubts... He was sure that, even with Eren's attempts and evidence to convince them, he would be stuck there for quite a while. Such a dreary thought caused him to curl up in the inactive yet still churning acid, only comforted slightly by a small amount of rubbing from his friend's hand somewhere on the outside, who was quietly whistling and humming a song they had heard since childhood, a song sung to lovers and friends alike in peril or fear, the lullaby sung to soldiers who were giving up:  
Don't you fret, my dear  
It'll all be over soon.  
And I'll be waiting here....  
For you.   
For you.   
For you,   
For you,   
For you,  
Don't you fret my dear...  
It'll all be over   
And I'll be waiting here...  
Don't you fret my dear.   
For you,  
For you.  
Run run run away.  
Run run run away... 

The humming continued for a few moments, until from outside raised a huge ruckus. The mob could be silenced no longer. They were tired of circling, and would be coming to claim their prey any second. And thus Eren had to temporarily abandon the amount of time he was trying to use to calm down his panicked friend, and try and satisfy their bloodlust. "The moment I open this door, I want you to take nothing that I say seriously until I calm down. Any words in anger are solely going to be used to tell these bastards to fuck off, and shouldn't be taken seriously. I am, of course, going to help you, and..." "I understand, Eren. I know you would never try to kill me. Just wipe the blood off your teeth so they don't start to think of you as more of a monster than you already are when someone recognizes you." Armin squeaked, giving his stomach wall a light nudge from inside. Even despite his worries for his friend, he may not even be able to protect him if he were still in the house, and went to open the door with a ferocious bang, met with the gleaming marbly gaze of a thousand falcons waiting to attack. "Have you killed the rat yet, your courageousness?" The tone was icy and cold, mocking his earlier statement. Eren nodded silently, his eyes flaring with candlelit, ferocious sparks. "The deed has been done, sir. The heretic is dead. If you care to look around, you may, but rest assured that you will find only a few crimson drops of his spilled blood remaining." he answered gruffly. "Damned bastard escaped my grasp a few too many times, yet I surely taught him a lesson, my fellow citizens. You will not have to worry about the ringleader of them all appearing in your sight again." 

Armin was caught between horror and awe the entire time: clearly his friend had a much more interesting vocabulary and word usage than usual, but even he, whilst knowing that Eren had no intention in harming him, couldn't help but let the snake of fear pierce his heart. Even from his standing point, Eren sounded dead serious about every word he let slip from his mouth, running like poison from glistening fangs, the hiss of a serpent into the night. Only this lie could save him now. Eren, I'm counting on you... 

That was the moment someone came forward to knock Eren in the face, eyes full of hatred. "Then I suppose you wouldn't mind an invasive search?" The person asked, a hard snarky look playing upon their face. "No sir, not at all." Eren mumbled in reply, rubbing his left cheek and looking away. He knew well that he had to hide most of his normal emotions from all else, and avoiding eye contact was nessicary. The blood from his hand had stopped dripping and had left a noticeable trail, but not one so that it would be unrealistic for someone Armin's size to have shed. "Please, step right this way, if you'd like to see." The door opened with a creak to allow the mob into the small temporary refuge the two companions had been in minutes ago. Every moment, it seemed, he would be discovered, even though Armin was already safe inside, occasionally feeling him move around or shift position within his belly. He took the empty bottles and smashed them onto the floor before anyone dared approach them, keeping the last one safe in the pocket of his cloak. 

Then began a dismal, furious search through the house, overturning everything and smashing everything to the ground. Though Eren had to wonder what their true goal was, flinching at the sound of the splitting wood and shattering glass. Damn. If they were so persistent earlier, they would've gotten him for sure! It's a good thing they hadn't taken it so seriously earlier, but... Have they started attempting to correct their error? Surely they were not this fierce from the start... That's it- they were trying to corner him, give him something to fear before his death, like a cat playing with a mouse. Disgusting. How wicked those who lack morals can be in the end. They're like wild animals... Wild animals that do not belong on this earth. He kept this thought in the center of his brain, sneaking out of the door; with all the ruckus about it was pretty easily done. Once he was safe from the mob, he continued to hum the soft melody of a warrior's heart splitting in two, searching for refuge:   
Run, run, run away  
By yourself another day  
A cold wind's whispering  
Secrets in your ear  
So low only you can hear.  
Ooh.  
Run, run, run and hide  
Somewhere no one else can find.  
Tall trees bend and lean,  
Pointing where to go  
Where you will still be all alone.   
Ooh  
Don't you fret, my dear-  
It'll all be over soon.  
And I'll be waiting here  
For you.

The sloshing and splashing somewhere deep inside of his stomach continued, this time sounding less afraid for his own sake but for his friend's. "E-Eren? What's going on?..." "Shh, don't question it. I just lead everyone to your supposed death sight." he replied reassuringly, rubbing his stomach a little more. This was, though Armin hated to admit it, just barely comforting, leaning into the gentle strokes in the slick internal flesh. Judging by Eren's tone, he still was going to have to remain inside his friend a little longer. But that wasn't the most notable thing- the reassuring words had one other side to them: fear. It wasn't often that the brunette exposed his fears to anyone intentionally, but this was the most clear depiction of it he had seen. Yes, he was just as afraid as he at this time, for he carried the responsibility of not his own life but Armin's as well. 

"Do they... Believe that you really killed me?" he asked, sloshing around a bit as he tried to get a more comfortable position, resting his elbows on the stomach wall after some thought to it. "I'm not sure what they think." Eren responded quietly in his clearly-nervous tone. "They better make up their minds soon, or else I'll never be able to shake them off. No ones recognized me yet, thank god, but the moment they do we're done for!" So that was what he was worried about... Now it made sense. If he was revealed, then they would certainly turn on him as well, and then they'd both be in some serious trouble. "I don't think anyone is going to recognize you as long as you try to keep a low profile. Don't do anything rash, and don't expose enough anger. You're masking it quite well, and I'm grateful for that. Thank you." he softly whispered, trying to push his fears aside with the understanding that even though things were difficult for him, they were far tougher for his friend, and wasn't about to pressure him while he was in this state. So instead, he clutched his dagger close to his heart, listening to the steady booming of Eren's somewhere high above him. It was... Almost soothing as well...   
He kept to himself as Eren hummed the final bit of the song to him in hopes of Armin being reassured:   
Run fast   
as you can  
No one has to understand.  
Fly high across the sky  
From here to kingdom come  
Fall back down to where you're from.  
Ooh  
Don't you fret, my dear  
It'll all be over soon.  
And I'll be waiting here... 

The angry shouts continued behind them, then one of joy- "Hey! He really did get the bastard! Damn right he did! Just look at the blood on this tattered cloth! But no body... Hmm... That's a little suspicious... And why'd he have to kill 'em with all the privacy?" Beads of sweat trickled down Eren's forehead hearing this- surely they were onto him. Better to sneak away now than be questioned later on. The shifter darted away, when he heard yet another voice: "Hey- but just look at the blood! And the knife between that and the jacket. There's been a killing here for sure. Come on, now, we've gotten done with what we needed to. Let's go back around, and if we see him, we'll ask him how the bastard died. If we don't see 'em, then we'll have to send out a search for our savior." 

Now this neither one of them could help but laugh at. After all, Eren was a shifter, and they had come after Armin because they believed his relationship with Eren had his friend calling the titans to the broken walls... "Savior?!" Armin giggled. "Well, Eren, next time they come after you, you might as well use that against them!" Eren shook his head playfully. "Then they'd know it was I who "killed" you. But of all things- savior! They think I'm a monster normally!" Armin kept laughing up until a bit of the mucus in Eren's stomach dripped down and hit him smack in the forehead, silencing him and reminding him if where he was. "Are you doing alright still?" the brunette asked once he was far enough away from the crowd. "Somehow..." Armin breathed, only enough that he would show the slightest shell of his fear. "How... Are things going out there?" 

"Mmh? Not well. I mean, they believe you were killed, but I didn't think through anything past bloodying your jacket, I'm afraid. I wasn't sure how to convey the rest of the evidence." "How about something along the lines of "and then the body of the heretic was thrown to the dogs of the streets?" That sounds like what they had coming for me, in any case." His concern was evident with this tone, however overlaid with a seemingly calm coating. "I just hope they give up soon... I don't want them hunting you down again, Eren." he mumbled, sinking into the slick flesh again as another dismal chorus of small gurgles and groans erupted. More than ever he wished to be freed of this fleshy prison, but knew that at this time, it would be far too dangerous for the both of them. "Do you... Think you can get away from them? I-I'm not sure how much longer I can stand this..." Eren sighed, rubbing one finger a bit roughly into the place his stomach was inside. "Of course, Armin. I know that this must feel horrible to you... I really did try to find other ways." he replied, beginning to make a little more distance from the mob than he already had. "Hey!" 

His body froze up instantly, fear running like water down his back. For right behind him stood another person who had participated in the mob, torch in hand. "Who are you really, kid?" they asked! raising a gray eyebrow at him, as if inspecting him, trying to see beyond the shaded eyes behind the cloak. "You wouldn't mind if I discovered your identity, if you've stopped that brat from going about with his crimes, now, would you? Don't you want to be rewarded? Or are you too scared to reveal yourself? We don't bite, you know.." Eren stopped feeling the reassuring yet sickening squirming of his friend- surely Armin had been petrified as well. Both of them were stunned, until Eren got a grip of what he needed to do, baring his teeth offensively in anger- still covered in blood, despite Armin's warnings. 

The older man staggered back. "So that's what you did with him?!" The furious soldier kept a hard lock on his gaze, not backing down for the slightest moment. "B-But that's..." "Inhumane?" Eren spat. "If that's what you're about to say, you're completely right. But is that nearly as bad as the things you had planned for him? I heard you were going to have him burned alive or thrown to the dogs, without the slightest weapon to defend himself! As long as he could run, he'd live that way, right? But after he tired out? All that you wanted to so is treat those with some common sense, those who decide not to live as livestock, as objects you can just throw into your path for pain and pleasure, do you?! Well, I've gotten something to say to that!" At that moment, Armin began to understand what was happening... For some reason, Eren refused to control himself, and had revealed himself verbally, as well as what he had done. Now he had to try and stop him, because, knowing Eren, only one thing could come next... "Eren, NO!" he shrieked, pounding on the walls of his stomach to try and stop him. But Eren payed this no heed at the moment, punching the man hard in the head so that he fell unconscious. 

When his adrenaline died down, the boy looked down at his fist, realizing what he had done. If anyone else had been watching... Refusing to look back, he kept running the seemingly endless trail of the winding streets in Trost. And all the while, he could feel the tiny kicks and punches inside his stomach, as well as the desperate screaming: "You idiot!" Armin sobbed, firmly pressing his hand into the squishy lining. "Why did you decide to do that?! You could've made it, and now everyone will know it's you!" He had barely the words to say what he had thought, only uttering "I-I don't know, I wasn't thinking... I didn't want them to find out I was behind this..." 

This was indeed a mistake, for the other people began to notice, chasing after him, screaming many different things:  
"Monster! Do you see the blood on his teeth? That's sick! How heartless!"  
"But sir, the blood on them matches that on his hands!"  
"Is that blood still trickling?! Oh- the blood is his own!"  
"I thought the lack of a body at the scene was suspicious..."   
"He never killed the boy! He let the heretic escape! Damned bastard!"  
"Wait- did you see that look in his eyes?! I swear I've seen that before..."   
"That was the heretic's friend! Certainly... Of course!"  
"So that's why it took him so long?! Come on, we can't let him escape!" 

Torches blazed behind him, but Eren refused to let his own weariness nor his guilt slow him down. The most important thing now was to try and escape with both of them still alive at the end of it. His blood was still running like crimson raindrops down his fingers, ensnaring into a bloody web at the base of each, filled with pain but still he didn't stop. However, it was difficult to get anywhere with Armin yowling with panic and bashing his innards. "D-Do you see what you've done?! Now you've just revealed yourself!" Whilst running, he placed one hand gingerly onto his stomach. "I-I know... I'll make it up, I promise... If anyone tries to hold this against me, I can bring up to the MPs that they were the ones trying to commit murder. Now that everyone knows I saved your life, I'll have a more convincing case. T-Trust me. I-I won't screw up again. But right now, I can't make any distance away from them while you're smacking me. I know you're upset and scared, but could you try to calm down until I evade them?" There was a gradual shift in the blonde's overall position inside his friend's slimy gut, settling down again to press his heels into the squishy flesh. He said not a word in terror, instead nodding, before having the recollection that this Eren could not see. 

"Y-Yes, I'll try... Just..." He made a small whimper. "D-Don't... D-Don't let them kill you!" he cried out. The little rubs of comfort that Eren was giving him started up again, gently massaging his head and shoulders that were pressed up against Eren's stomach wall, gradually soothing him just so slightly. "I won't. These bastards won't get ahold of me, I promise. I won't be done in by the scum of the streets." he murmured, the slightest hint of ferocity in his voice. "And I won't succumb to whatever supposed tortures they have set for me if I do." He kept on his path, until he reached the end of the roads and dashed out into the city.By now, the vicious mob was far closer on his trail, prepared to trap him the moment he came close enough. Flickering firelight continued to sizzle, and even the small squeals of the rats seemed like horrified shrieks. Why hadn't he just listened to what his friend had to say? Then maybe,if he had just controlled his temper, he wouldn't be in this mess! 

And then came a searing pain in one leg, as he looked down to see a tongue of fire tasting him hungrily, its jaws open and starting to devour the rest of it. He barely managed to stamp it out only in time to keep the rest of his enemies at bay. "I didn't want to do this..." Eren grunted, pulling a whistle out of his pocket, and blowing hard. "I had Mikasa and Sasha cover for me, in case anything went wrong. No doubt there will be worse troubles for us if this fails..." No sooner had he said this than an arrow whizzed past his shoulder, stopping the crowd suddenly from their chasing. He was so close... Just one more block... The collision from the weaponry was enough to drive the majority's attention off of their attempts to capture Eren once and for all, slipping away into the dark shadows to meet his friends back in their positions. His panting breaths intensified as he continued down on the paved passages, finally reaching their positions and dropping to his knees. "Are you still alright?" he murmured, giving one final rub to his friend for comfort. 

Before he could hear anything he said, a small continuous sloshing formed, before feeling a light tapping from the inside. "... Physically." Armin murmured. The section that he knew is meant was as if he had said "well, I'm seriously mentally scarred, but no injuries." "I know... Just give us a few minutes, and I promise I'll get you out of there." Eren said in response. "They stopped tailing me, but I still need to leave the premises to where they cannot follow if they get any ideas." He then realized that this must look strange to the other two, to whom he hadn't fully explained his strategy to. "I-I'll explain everything once we get back." he promised, allowing himself to be directed towards the opposite route from the street of flaming torches, pain, and terrorism. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Is this a better spot?" Eren asked, huffing. "With the trail leading in the opposite, and this barrier being here, it's pretty much the best way to keep you concealed." Sasha replied. "What exactly happened with the plan? And where, if I may ask, is Armin? You did get him away from them, right?" The brunette's irises turned a softer green as he took out the other bottle, gulping away at its contents. "Of course I did..." The serum had a fast effect, causing him to seconds later fall to his knees as a sticky stream of the several liquids and saliva poured out of his jaws, followed by a very sodden, fearful Armin from the mess, gulping down fresh air thankfully with ever-shaky breaths, finding himself gently pressed against the fabric of Eren's jacket as he wiped the slime off of his friend. 

"I'm sorry I couldn't have explained it earlier... But Hanji made me promise to keep it a secret from even you guys." Their dumbstruck expressions only read with pure horror, worse than that of a survivor of war. "I-I know what you're thinking... I'm not proud that this was the only thing we could figure out, believe me... I just... Couldn't get anything else to work. And yes, I have my regrets, though I do believe he would've died if I hadn't... It's... Complicated." he replied, gently rolling Armin over onto his back in the palm of his hand to check for any possibly injures, but nope, not one nick had formed on the blonde's skin. "Either way, it felt just awful having to... Eat him like this." His explanation was short and confusing even to himself, wiping the last bits of the liquid off of Armin. "There. Hopefully that's a bit better..." Eren murmured, hugging his friend to his chest. The trickle of his own blood was starting to fade as it dried out in the chilly night air, but still he held onto Armin as he shifted within the gentle warmth of the hand and beating heart he was pressed up against. 

"What made you lose your temper this time?" His voice rang with the smallest trace of fear, barely coherent and in the air. But still he felt that it would be best to put it out there. "There was one person there who was onto me... He asked me to reveal myself. And then... I lost control of all else, in fear, in anger. This is all just one little thing that will make citizens hate me more, and besides, it's not like they can really arrest me for murder. The moment they accuse me of that, I can just pull you out and say straight out 'is this the person you accused me of murdering, after attempting to do so yourselves?' What have I really got to lose? The facts are on my side. That I'm sure of. Besides, I can hear the Military Police questioning the citizens in the distance. We'll be fine." he replied softly, keeping Armin close to his chest all the while. "Everything will all be downhill from here."

**Author's Note:**

> Basically a oneshot made based off the character personalities of an RP I am in with BeatemBaeLuna on deviantart. Another one I made while in a transitional phase, but I'm still really proud of how this one came out. Full summary on DA: http://redlasunshowers029.deviantart.com/art/Kingdom-Come-Protective-Pred-Eren-X-Prey-Armin-480546990


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